Redemption Song.

Hi again.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I've been talking this same ol' bullshit for months now, but a lot has changed in my life.

Have you ever been beaten down? So low that there was no foreseeable end? Been there, lived through it. Just when you think you see the light at the end of the tunnel, you find out it's really just a freight train gunning right for you. I was lower than dirt, mon amies. And what pulled me through was the thought that, now, there's no where left to go but up :)

Lemon juice to lemonade. Yeah, there's that trademark optimism. There's what I'm known for.

You see, as an entertainer, a social butterfly, you're not supposed to have real problems. You're supposed to listen to everyone else's and keep the wine flowing. You're supposed to keep the jokes coming and the police at bay.

In my time of need the one that was there the most was a guy I'd met 3 weeks prior. He just wanted to hit the skins, but you can't blame him I guess. I am pretty hot, and I've never known vulnerability to turn a man off.

Box on top of box on top of box.

My life is shelved about 8 feet high by 6 feet wide in the center of my living room (well, off-center. TV's still set up) I've been living like this for over a month now, trying to figure out where I'm going to go.

My plan, dearests, simply involved the flip of a coin.
I gave a friend the chance to seal my fate: a nickel. Heads I stay stateside, tails I hightail it overseas. It was heads.

Secretly I was grateful for this; my main fear about going overseas was not being able to come back. All that aside, I've finally chosen my home. If all goes according to plan, I should be there within 7 months (provided I survive the next round of layoffs. Been cutting back where I can, but Chipotle is just too good)

What's more, I'm going back to school :)

Took damn near a decade, but I finally figured out what I want to do. Met with a counselor this afternoon to determine course requirements. I'm giving this 100% because what I'm going for will require nothing less, and as a show of dedication (to myself), after 4 years, I've closed down all of my web stores. Leftover stock in my possession is either being sold locally or given away. I have no more time for that hustle.

I have a new sense of purpose, loves. A renewed sense of being.

... and it's all falling into place. Wish me well.

M.

I am the Sea.

Finals are over. Thank G-d. I don't ask for much, just a passing grade. Skating by seems to be the way of this generation; I advise you all to grease up your wheels (or blades depending on your perspective)

I picked up my graduation application yesterday. Still running uphill. Wish me luck.

In other news, I got in a fight with my DVD player... and it won.

To my credit though, it wasn't an easy victory.

It ate a Chris Rock DVD that I was looking forward to. With so much on my plate, I've been renting comedies by the bucketload. Laughing just makes you feel so much better, doesn't it? I've made it a personal goal to laugh at least 5 minutes a day, everyday, for the past week. It's done wonders.

Blu-Ray: +1 Michelle: +0

Determined, I went in my tool bag and grabbed my screwdriver (the anarchist in me wanted to grab the hammer, but I realized that would be counterproductive) and tore  the system wide open. I'm surprised none of the cables snapped because I wasn't particularly gentle. See that gray unit on the right? Yeah, I broke that open too. After much pulling I got the disc out (albeit with a chip on the edge. Was ultimately only able to watch about 50 minutes of it. SUCK), then worked on reassembling the thing piece by piece. Miraculously, I did well. I made a unique color coding system (i.e. - using my paint tubes as totems) so I knew which screws went where, and after a few minutes the system was as good as new. 

Well, kind of.

You see everything went well, but there was one major problem once all was said and done: the disc tray wouldn't close. Apparently something got behind the door trigger while I was (wo)manhandling the thing. It was only about 2 months old anyway; most electronics have a 90 day warranty. I've already made up some bullsh*t and exchanged it. I'm back in business. A smile and little cleavage will get you out of almost anything :)

In regard to the DVD, it's not as if it were mine anyway. Quite frankly, it's the DVD's own fault for getting stuck. Let it be the next renter's problem.

Still packing and finding relics of a life long ago lived:

*An original Simon game from the late 80s (I was a pro at that game. Got it for my 2nd Xmas. Played it until at least age 8. To this day, I still believe that game is why I have pretty good memory retention)

* An Ewok plushie, original CareBear, and that cat from Strawberry Shortcake

* Optimus Prime, Hot Wheels cars, a suction cup gun, Astroboy figurine

* A Magic 8 Ball (with half the blue stuff leaked out. Wanted to chuck it at my neighbor's bratty children, but I don't think I need a criminal record)

* Inuyasha DVDs, Gremlins

* A jug of rice wine a friend brought back from China years ago (I'm afraid to open it)

Save about 5 items, all of it went to the Salvation Army. Don't know what I plan to do with the booze. I'm too malicious to simply pour it down the sink. Ideas?

I'm about to hit the streets again so I'll end it here.

D: Here's the vid from that night @ Bugsy's. Awesome show BTW. Sugar's rendition of MJ's "Human Nature"

My friends Deej (on mic) Jesse & Shawn (both on percussion), Charlotte (female lead) and some random dude on the sax.

And who was that dude Crip walking in the back?

Love it when random people go on stage.

Peace out.

<3 M

My Spine.

"All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of man, even those who hang themselves" - Blaise Pascal

Yep, the binomial coefficient guy (surely you have just as fond a memory of geometry as I do). Somehow philosophy is easier to understand from a mathematician. (***Ed. note: Now that I've actually read one of his books in its entiriety, I won't advertise it here. I was disgusted. I like the quote above though, so I'll leave it - M. 07/28/10)


Full entry to come soon.

It's finals week and I've been slammed. I'm packing, selling, shipping, giving away, painting, gluing, origami-ing... trying to make it through the day, just like you guys. Send me your well wishes and I will do the same for you :)

Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamer,
Bring me all your
Heart melodies
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
Away from the too-rough fingers
Of the world.

<3 M

Kansai Airport in Osaka. On my way home...

  

Short Circuit.

So yeah, it's been about three weeks since my last login.

A lot's happened, amigos. School started, met someone, cleaned out my closet for monthly Salvation Army drop off... I might have lied to you before, but I'm ready to admit now that I'm not made of steel.

I need to move out of my condo too because my mortgage company has been hounding me to refinance. I did it about 4 years ago and have been skating by paying pennies since (got in before this horrible economic downtown) Anyway, my loan is due to reset next year so my mortgage will double unless I move out. I've been toying with moving in the last few months, but now I need to get the ball rolling.

I never thought this would come out of my mouth, but I think I'm scared of change. Or maybe more I don't want to make my life any more difficult, so I've been acceptant of the status quo. This is the year I finally do it. I've been talking so much bull about leaving here, but this is the year it'll actually happen. I can feel it. I need to remind myself not to be scared of change, but to embrace it. Easier said than done.

Uploaded some more videos from my Japan trip; still not done. This vid is from the top of the Floating Garden building in Osaka. I was there on my last day, just a few hours before heading to Kansai to come home.



I think I can find those chairs at Ikea. I hope so anyway.

Here's a shot of the outside of the building. Took a little over 10 minutes to get to the top.

Made some new Hello Kitty listings. I got this one at the site of the Great Buddha in Nara (see below). This one I think I'll keep. I'm not much of a Hello Kitty fan, but I couldn't think of a price point I'd be comfortable selling at... not to mention I find it ironic and mildly blasphemous :)

Gotta get back to school work. I have to go to a testing lab tomorrow because my Biology teacher is a Julian-calendar-using-I'll-give-you-3-days-to-do-a-16-page-lab-and-I-don't-care-if-you-work-10-hour-days-you-have-6-tests-a-week sadist.

M <3

Kenroku-En Garden, Takoyaki, Rainstorms

Uploaded some new vids today. These are from Kanazawa in Kenroku-En ("Six Attributes"), one of Japan's 3 great gardens. Click here if you want more info.

It was raining pretty badly out, but it was so humid! I had on 2 shirts and a jacket that day; I was sweating like a pig. The whole place was surreal. I felt more like I was in Middle Earth than a place that actually exists in this world.

There were a lot of tourists there despite the weather. I stayed in the background and listened to them speak to each other to find out if they were Chinese, Korean, Thai, etcetera. I breathed a little sigh of relief if I understood them. The little Japanese I do know helped me out quite a bit. 

Everyone I encountered was very nice; smiles are universal :)

I made something like 30 videos during my trip so you'll have to forgive me if they're out of order or vague. I'll try to describe as much as I can remember.

Before I go, I have to mention this little tidbit because it was one of my "geek out" moments. When we came to a truck stop somewhere on our way to Kyoto, I shrieked a little when I found a takoyaki stand. 

Tada! :))

I love octopus and wanted to try it... and I won't even lie. It was only because there was a whole Ranma 1/2 episode about it (I believe in season 4) and I have yet to find it back home :-P

It was pretty good. The sauce was like A-1 or some type of barbeque sauce. I ate it for dinner whenever I found a stand if only to feel closer...

It's a really funny show if you've never seen it.

You should check it out sometime. I'm sure you can rent it from a local library.

Anway, back to the grind. Made some new listings for you Hello Kitty fans out there :)

Late,

M.

In Kanazawa. Forgot What Day It Is.

This photo was taken in Shirakawa; high (like, WAY high) in the Japanese alps...

I've been in the Japanese alps for the past few days; this is the first time I've had internet access since we left Tokyo. Just uploaded a few more videos to my YouTube account. Check 'em out :)))











This is just a taste. See my YouTube account for more...

Later,

M :)))

Day 2 Tokyo: Meiji Shrine, Imperial Forest, Tea Ceremony, Asakusa Kannon Temple

Just another morning video :)



I'm doing this on borrowed time. I finally realized that I'm not a travel blogger so my videos will do most of the speaking. This video is upon entry to Meiji Shrine:





Calligraphy class (this is the instructor writing a haiku):



The city:



Tatsumiya Resutoran:




The staff here was very nice and the beer was very good. I ate solo because I wanted to see what the city had to offer besides KFC and Starbucks. The menu was entirely in Japanese (I brought a Kanji book with me to help with the unfamiliar symbols. I did fine) As I was paying, I said "Gochisosama Deshita" ("Thank you for the treat")  and for it I got a very polite bow and a compliment on my knowledge of the language. It's always nice to hear that from a native :)

Anyway, I'm about to head out to the streets of Tokyo and cause a ruckus :))))

Peace!

M.

Day 1: Tokyo (Arrival)

I'm so spoiled by free Wi-Fi. The hotel ran out of packages so I have to purchase time by the hour (and it's not cheap. Not at a 4 cum 5 star hotel) Hopefully I'll find a spot where I can access free Wi-Fi otherwise all entries will be in short spurts.

Anyway, here's a YouTube vid of my first day.

I made it :) YAY!!!

Love, M.



**Edit: 5:20 p.m. (Japan Time) - I think I found a loophole in the system.... hee hee :)))

Take On Me.

So LA was fun.

Driving in after almost 4 hours of sitting. Stopped in Barstow for a minute to stretch my legs.

I went with my mom as a sort of Pre-Mother's Day gift (not to mention my good friends have kids now so we can't really just "up & go" anymore). Spent too much money, but got some cool navy blue leg warmers (which I'm wearing right now thank you) despite that fact that it's 83 degrees in my home and my feet are sweating. 

I went to Little India and Little Korea. Little Mexico and Little Jamaica. Each of them bled me dry.

I did however manage to talk down a light blue Devo sweater (in their classic red hats) from 35$ to 8$. Yeah. I got it like that.

Random rooftop shot. Saw crackheads fighting in the street while I was shopping.

I was in such a rush to get out of the car that I skipped breakfast. We shopped for about 2 hours before I committed the most felonious of felonies: I ate a bacon-wrapped hot dog. It was served with roasted bell peppers and onions though (and mustard, of course), so I sated myself with the fact that I was getting a vegetable intake too.

I'm not sure I've gone into why it's so difficult for me to eat meat. Maybe one day when I feel like typing up what will feel like a 3-page diatribe you guys will all know.

A belt buckle I considered. It's a shame these things are best left to men. Should've got it anyway and rocked it in my own way. Maybe when I come back from Japan...

Around the time I wanted to head back to my car, I decided I wanted some ice cream. I passed no less than 20 ice cream vendors throughout the day, but when I actually wanted some they were all MIA. Go fig. 

Mom said she'd buy me some ice cream at Ralph's, but I wanted a Spongebob pop with blue bubble gum eyes and a chocolate bum. I actually felt my chin quivering with disappointment. It was like I was 6 all over again.

I settled for a strawberry daiquiri instead. This was after I got home of course BECAUSE DRIVING DRUNK IS F*CKING IRRESPONSIBLE.

We drove down Venice & Normandie and I was surprised by how vast the cemetery was yet how the dead seem to be piled on top of each other. Once you're dead I suppose it really doesn't matter anymore, but still.

I wanted to stop by High Voltage Tattoo but my little feet were baking like bread in my Mizunos, so I high tailed it. LA is like a second home anyway. It's not like I won't be back.

Got lunch @ Roscoe's (Very few things are capable of making me drool, but their waffles are one of them) and split. All in all, the trip was well worth it. I picked up some cool things to wear overseas because you know I'm going to be rockin' it hard core in Shinjuku (no one will ever show me up. NO ONE!) 

I'm typing this standing up. I'm giving my ass a rest for what lie ahead of me...

M.

  

Suite Madame Blue

That's it. I'm going to LA tomorrow. I'm sick of this shit.

.

A little bit o'beach and retail therapy always feels good.

I think I'm being sent a message. My work situation has become intolerable; staffing has been reduced to five. Got two that don't talk (onE of them is cool on the rare occasion she does though), one that talks too much (you know wHo you are) and one I had to file a harAssment claim against as of Wednesday.

Doesn't my week sound awesome?

At least I'm still fortunate enough to be weathering this horrible recession.

Thank God.

Normally I would never take a road trip a week before an 18-hour international flight (CABIN FEVER :((( !!!), but I need to blow this pop stand. Work aside, had something hit close to home that I won't share here.

Escapism is not the answer, but it feels damn good while you're gone.

I'll have to be sated with LA for this week, but next week it's Tokyo :)

やった!!

Got my camcorder and I plan to document the whole trip right here. Seriously contemplating taking up an offer to go to London later this year ... and possibly losing my return ticket.

Just because they want to be miserable heifers doesn't mean I have to be.

M.

Mausam & Escape

So I just watched Paper Heart. At Sundance, it was described as "self-indulgent crap".. not far off the mark.

If you're not familiar with the premise, it's about a girl (using the term loosely) who doesn't believe in love. She sets out with a film crew across the US, then abroad, the find out what love means to other people.

I don't know who pitched this idea, Jake or Charlyne, but I have to say that she was the one that ruined it for me. Would it have killed you to at least pretend you were having fun? One of the first people interviewed said it was "sad" that she'd never experienced love.. and that set the tone for the whole movie.

I don't know this girl, and I don't want to get juvenile about it, but maybe if she wore something that didn't drape on her like a tent (1/4 of the movie was spent in a hoodie and it was SO damn sloppy), combed her hair, and wasn't so cynical she wouldn't be in that rut.

Ever hear of conditioner? a skirt? heels? a tad of makeup? fitted clothing? You can't blame a (straight) dude for not wanting to be with another dude.

The side story is the plot line with Michael Cera. I can call it a plot now since they not together anymore. Charlyne went to a psychic in Albuquerque and the psychic told her that he was with her for "business reasons". She also predicted that it would end. Truth hurts, darling. Both her and Jake (director) called her a scam artist afterwards and disputed everything she said. I can't help but wonder if it's true now. I don't really care to know the specifics of the breakup, but it seems totally plausible.

I think what hurt the most is that I can see part of myself in this girl.

I used to dress like that... back when I was trying to avoid dating and not be looked at. It was a means of self-preservation. I figured no one would want a sloppy, unkempt woman.. but apparently someone else got a movie deal and movie star boyfriend (temporarily) out of the deal. I'm cynical, but not so much to the point that I can't just sit back and have fun. Charlyne seemed so miserable, and misery loves company. In the first 30 minutes, it seemed like everyone was having a good time but her and she was trying to bring them down with her. The scene at the biker bar pissed me off.

Overall, I feel like I should've stopped watching when my first instinct told me to. I'm pissed that I wasted 80-some-odd minutes on someone who didn't seem to give a damn how the film ended. I'm incensed, and I wanted to type this up before I had a chance to blow off steam.

The New York Times review might be better written, but the sentiment is the same.

There's only three good things that came out of this: 1) I didn't see it at Sundance 2) I didn't pay for the rental 3) I watched it during a week when all my business is up to snuff so I wasn't (technically) wasting time.

It was between this and Whip It, and I wasn't particularly enthused about either. Hopefully I'll have better luck next time, until then I'll link to some good movies.

You soddy Mother...

Damn, D, you can't even try anymore?

Did you seriously come unshaven and in sweatpants? Nice to see you're putting some effort into it.

Watch season 1. Take notes.

(Thank you Hugo Boss, Giorgio Armani, and Madonna Mann)

I swear blazers are not poisonous, pinstripes work, and dress shoes are not reserved for the Sundays your mom drags you to church.

Play with color, but save the pastels (unless you actually plan to become a playboy, then all bets are off)

Also, socks are required.

The farthest you should ever walk from your house in sweatpants is to the mailbox. NO EXCUSES!!

Riots.

Greetings & salutations, all.

This has been a very tumultuous week. Finally all my business purchases arrived (Thank God), but I lost some co-workers to the recession and a friend was lost to jail.

I'm not familiar with the detention system, but only people on the visitors log can come, and only at certain times, depending on what cell block the inmate is in. Images of "OZ" flashed through my mind. I wondered if I was gonna get shanked in the hallways. I'm posting now so all is well.

Below is one of my screen print projects. I've had this blank canvas bag forever and finally decided on an image I want to tote around. It's reminiscent of early woodblock prints. At first I thought it was a female puppeteer, and I wanted to make the puppet a man. My freehand skills are lacking (and drawing in permanent marker doesn't leave much room for error) so I left it as is. Once the print is made I'll paint in the features.

I like my men on a string :)

I drew a quick sketch of this while watching "Alice in Acidland" Lately I've been obsessed with Something Weird videos. They make those 60s propaganda films and light snuff stuff. Click the link and watch the trailer. I was surprised that Bettie Page was on their roster. "The Wizard of Gore" scream at the 1:48 mark makes me laugh every time :)

I also watched the season 4 ender for Miami Vice. I didn't see that coming, but I'll know once season 5 comes in if they jumped the shark or not. Say it ain't so, Crockett!

Given that bail money had to be available no new projects were started in the last week, but I had the screen print stuff lying around so I went for it... I HATE being idle.

Finished a book, started another. Began a workout regimen I'll comment on later as it progresses. Learned a very important lesson....

"Love is the pursuit of shadows"

Is it a bad idea to pick someone up while on the clock? Who cares.. hopefully I don't go chickenshit...

Venus.

Promises, Promises.

I'm breaking one of my own rules: I decided to show you all my 1/2 finished works. Website preparation has been a bitch; sometimes I wish I wasn't so scatterbrained. I'm doing this in the hopes that I can choose ONE of these to focus on and finish. My goal is to have a completed work on my site before my trip to Japan, so when I hand out my business card there's something on my site other than a whole bunch of bullshit.

This is my little origami squad. I recently started making these to zone out, yet still keep my mind active. I was surprised at how peaceful the whole process is.

This is my first mask project in at least 4 years. I'm thinking a bit of a Carnivale vibe. Not quite sure where I want to go with it yet. Needs more paint and sealant before I start working on it again.

This is my "Miami Vice" Florida meets Grandma's-Worst-Nightmare tropical shirt. I have to drop by the suite to pick up the rest of the finishings. Not sure if I want to bring it with me and wear it on my trip, or save it for my site. These are the hard decisions I'm forced to make these days.

And last but not least is my wall art.

I did the background yesterday and added everything else today. Took a picture of it as the hot glue was still drying; it's fresh off the presses. I wanted to add a poem by José Martí because this poem really struck me and would've been perfect for the piece, but the notebook it's scrawled in is missing. Kinda bummed about that.

Anyway, just doing a quick check in so that you guys know that I'm still on my grind and I'm not full of shit ;)

M.

Happiness Trigger.

Goodbye, Christ

"Listen, Christ, you did alright in your day, I reckon ... But that day's gone now.

They ghosted you up a swell story, too, Called it Bible-- But it's dead now.

The popes and the preachers've made too much money from it.

They've sold you to too many.

Kings, generals, robbers, and killers -- Even to the Cossacks,

Even to Rockefeller's Church,

Even to THE SATURDAY EVENING POST.

You ain't no good no more.

They've pawned you till you've done wore out.

Goodbye, Christ Jesus Lord God Jehova,

Beat it on away from here now.

Make way for a new guy with no religion at all --

A real guy names Marx Communist Lenin Peasant Stalin Worker ME --

I said, ME!

Go ahead on now, you're getting in the way of things, Lord.

And please take Saint Ghandi with you when you go,

And Saint Pope Pius,

And Saint Aimee McPherson,

And big black Saint Becton Of the Consecrated Dime.

And step on the gas, Christ! Move!

Don't be so slow about movin'! The world is mine from now on--

And nobody's gonna sell ME to a king, or a general, or a millionaire."

Sing it, Langston. Expensive day today.

Went to Sak's 5th to look for a bag for my trip. My mom got a gift card there from an auction and gave it to me. I always feel weird at those über pretentious high-end stores.

I walked up and the door was opened by two guys in suits looking like off-duty CIA agents (sort of like multi-cultural James Bonds). I looked around and saw chicks toting Chanels & LVs, but thank God for consignment stores. I was in YSL; I wasn't about to be shown up.

"I know a good 60% of the people in here flaunting all that garbage are fronting for mass debt, but I won't call them on it if they leave me alone" I thought.

I ended up buying a bracelet I probably could've got on eBay for $25 and split. Everyone there was really nice, but I still felt like I was in a Venus Flytrap.

Went to the art store and got some screen-printing stencils and markers, working on a mask inspired by Björk. Still waiting for the studs for shirt completion.

Doing big things, chickadees.

Don't do tomorrow what you can do today.

Speechless.

Was thinking of modifying this dress by shortening it and making it a mod dress. Started out business casual; seeing it as Laugh-In or the Mod Squad. I could so see someone rocking this with a mini hem and tall fringed mocassins. I don't have the time to do it with all my other projects. Take a chance, see what YOU can do.

I know I missed my usual cutoff, but it's been a busy week.

Put tons of mileage on my mini bus driving across town. Had to get my taxes done twice: once for personal, once for business. Forgot one paper and it became a nightmare. Audit, schmuadit.

My (awesome, awesome) mom got me what any respectable business would want and need: a phone line :) Haven't set it up yet and I haven't been by the suite in a while... too much to do, so little of me. I need a clone.

Just purchased a new wireless service and have been messing with the router configurations since last night. Just barely finished it and am typing from my laptop as we speak :)

Can't drive for shit and totally banged up a co-worker's car (no one saw it but me and I could've bailed, but I wouldn't do that to her) Got up early and made her a care package for taking pity on me.

More random scrawling done in the night. See if you can interpret this:

* Fig jam (well, that's pretty self explanatory)

* 2 vices (just 2? That'd be a record for me)

* The Green Lantern (not much of a comic book afficionado, but I know who he is)

* Something that looks like "Heroic Love Rat Theseus".... umm, yeah

Movie screening in LA in 10 days, Tae-Bo in a few hours, and lunch is once again deferred.

Where's a Mimosa when you need one?

Solid Gold.

Had a few revelations this week...

As far as my crafts, I've been all over the place. I have a string of pearls leading across my bedroom floor... can't figure out what to do with them.

My current project requires silk (back to the fabric store!) Picked up a roller yesterday to finish up a screen printing project... if only I could focus on just one.

I'm finding pencils and random scraps of paper all over my house with mad scrawlings done in the middle of the night.. The engine is always running, but I only have two hands.

Waiting for some items to come in the mail so I can finish my shirt project. That one seems to be the closest one to completion. Thank God.

Projects aside, I had something like a series of epiphanies this week... Who do I live for if not myself? I think I might finally be at peace with moving away from my family. I can now accept that there's nothing wrong with not wanting a conventional life and the nuclear family with white picket fences, a dog, and 2.5 children.

Otherwise, all is well. Going out sporadically, breaking hearts along the way... :)

Won't Take That Talk.

Hard partying will catch up to you... I'm sick as a dog.

Bowling, house parties (pretending to like your friend of a friend's shitty band), midnight trips to the gas station... I can't even talk. Throat feels like sandpaper, ears & nose clogged, and I'm hacking up green stuff like Linda Blair from The Exorcist.

The picture is apropos; it's exactly how I feel.

What I would give for nirvana... I have a feeling stress contributed to this. Not stress from my crafts & website, those things are joys to me. I'm talking about stress from my 9-5. I'm convinced that I work with a blood relative (pun?) of Nosferatu & someone with absolutely no brains. Favoritism occurs everywhere, but usually not so blatantly.

Still beading my top, have made a lot of progress since last week. Should be completed within 3 weeks. I'm not a fan of posting 1/2 finished works, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Been invited to a lot of ritzy zip codes lately... saw a HUGE Noh Mask in a bathroom and now I want one for myself.

I like creepy stuff :)

Inspirations this week: Breakin', Persepolis, Ikiru, & the color raspberry.

Hopefully I'll be better by next week's post.... Ciao.

Carl's Theme.

I didn't remember beading to be so time consuming.

Since my last entry, I started working on the pink tropical print shirt I posted a pic of. I was planning on letting my needle take me where it did, but decided that if I wanted it to look fantastic a little planning would be required.

Got a Sharpie, a tin full of seed beads, and a sketchpad.

The plotting is almost as consuming as the actual work; I'm glad I just started the 2nd season of Miami Vice.

The season's a little more twisted than the previous one... rape, incest, heroin... and this is just 4 episodes in. It's nice background for when I'm working.

Bought some more champagne, but this time I went for the cheap stuff. I'm pretty sure it's technically considered "sparkling wine", but whatever. I won't tell if you won't.

My site is coming along slowly... I'm using whatever little coding and html skills I have and I'm pretty much tapped out. Made some buttons, a banner heading, and successfully completed the required "About Me" page, but now I need help.

There's only one person I can think of that will have the skills to give me what I want, but I don't know if she'll do it. Meh. I'll see what I can do.

I was kidnapped and partied it up Friday and Saturday night, rested most of Sunday but still got some beading done... I learned how to screen print so I was distracted for a moment...

It's all coming together.. and it feels good :)

It's gotta be a sin.

Just checking in on all my lovely visitors cross the globe... How are you guys doing?

This week has been pretty insane. I spent most of today building my website from the ground up. Rest assured that I'll link you guys over to it when it's done :) It's not published yet so if I give you the link now it'll be nothing but advertisements...

My 2nd hat project has been more of a pain that my first one. Changed the color scheme, but I'm having a problem with the color staying. I would hate for someone to be wearing one of my works and see it fade right before their very eyes... not acceptable.

Let me make one thing known: I hardly ever watch television. I'm not home often, but when I am it's not parked in front of the TV. That said, I've been watching the 1st season of Miami Vice on DVD. I never saw it during its original run. One word: AWESOME. There are cameos in it I never would've guessed... a Thai ninja was one of the bad guys. They even had an original cast member from Scarface! (that first Columbian dealer Tony dealt with; the one that got Angel in that gruesome shower scene) Tubbs and Crockett have stolen my heart.

I guess you can see from the clothes I chose below that the show was an influence...

There is absolutely nothing wrong with tropical prints.

I like loud colors. My clothes and hats are for someone that doesn't mind being a centerpiece. These are just the before pictures.

Wait until you see the afters :)

These are just 2 of the 20 pieces of vintage I picked up today and plan to rework.

That's enough entry for now. I ran out of champagne and I'm kinda bitter about it. I can't believe it!

Here I am in the midst of one of the worst depressions ever, spent a ridiculous amount of money on one bottle of champagne and now it's all gone!

I suppose I can make it through through next few days. Send me your prayers.

Universal Traveler.

I'll be making a regular post soon, but I just purchased my domain name for my stand alone web site this morning :) Excited!

There's so much work that goes into site design, but it's one of those necessary evils... I can just think of my upcoming trip as a reward for my hard work :)

Need to get a new camera ASAP because my current one is shit..

About to leave in a moment to pick up some more supplies... still recovering from the Hard Rock last night.. How the hell do I do this?

Might be wearing the top you see above... The purse however is up for grabs.

Toodle-Loo Loves,

M.

Rocket Queen.

Today before my workout I decided to watch It Should Happen To You. I dig old movies and it was short; I figured I'd watch something light-hearted before a grueling yoga session. First and foremost, I have to say that the title character made my skin crawl. It wasn't her looks, but her personality. Gladys Glover (Judy Holliday, pictured above) is some strange bird from upstate New York who wants to be famous. Her angle? absolutely nothing. She just wants her name known. The scene above is when she meets the love interest, Pete Shepherd (Jack Lemmon) in Central Park.

After their chance meeting, she sees a blank billboard in Columbus Circle and gets the fabulous idea to advertise herself there. The sign is simple; there's nothing on it but her name (business acumen: +1, though adding a ph# or contact info would've been more effective) Problem? a soap company wants the space and they're willing to do just about anything to get it.

After a few rounds of negotiation, she gives up the space in exchange for six signs across town (business acumen +2) and one is electric (+3). All of a sudden she's the buzz of the city.. "Just who is Gladys Glover?" She goes from being Jane Doe from Podunk, U.S.A to being the spokesmodel for the very soap company that bought her out.

This of course leads to other deals, like for the diet pill she's plugging above.

This scene is not part of the movie, I just thought the picture was cool.

What initially started out as a light Sunday morning movie turned into so much more. Immediately I thought of the slew of other people that exist in this world that are famous, and got famous, for absolutely nothing:

Angelyne (who flat out took this idea and ran with it)

Tila Tequila

The White House Crashers

EVERYONE on a reality TV show

The Balloon Boy Family... the list could go on and on.

What is it about fame? What is it in your life that's missing? Are you really so unique and cool that you think the world needs to know you? What kind of impact do you have on the world, and what impact will you leave when you die? I just don't get it.

It almost seems hypocritical for me to write about this given that I have a public blog, but I value my anonymity. You guys might never see a picture of me. I haven't decided if I want to reveal myself just yet.. if ever.

I won't lie though, I think it'd be an interesting experiment to test this out and rent a spot in the city with my name. Maybe I'll call some places. I know some prime locations that are blank right now...

In the movie, Gladys loses Pete because of her quest for fame. He's not so much against her being famous, he's against the fact that it's for nothing. I am too. If you want your name known, do something worthy of attention. I know plenty of people that act the way these reality show kids do that don't have the benefit of a film crew capturing it all... and are possibly the better for it.

Speaking of which, the dad of the "Balloon Boy" kid just got out of jail today.

It's nice how everything wraps up in a neat package.